By Samantha Jones-
An Australian woman and her family went on a massive spending spree after accidentally being given $10.4 million (£6.1m) instead of a $100 (£60) refund.
Thevamanogari Manivel and her sister are now facing legal action, and have been ordered to pay a significant sum of the money back – with interest.
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Her spending spree began after a leading cryptocurrency exchange accidentally sent her $10.5 million AUD (£6.25m).
Crypto.com sent the funds to Thevamanogari Manivel’s bank account in May 2021 when trying to issue a $100 refund, but did not discover the error until an audit was performed seven months later.
Ms Manivel had already sent the funds to another account held jointly with her sister Thilagavathy Gangadory, according to court documents.
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Some of the money was used to buy a $1.35m five-bedroom house in Melbourne.
Victoria’s Supreme Court has now ordered to be sold and the money returned.
Crypto.com is also seeking 10 per cent interest on the amount, plus legal costs, while a separate order has been made regarding the rest of the funds mistakenly sent.
The Melbourne resident was originally set to receive the $100 return from cryptocurrency exchange platform Crypto.com in May last year.
She splashed out an extravagant $1.35 million (£800k) on a mansion for Gangadory, boasting four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a home gym and cinema.
In February of this year, the company began legal proceedings, which included freezing Manivel’s accounts – but by this point it was too late. She had already transferred most of the money to a different joint account, and another significant sum was handed to her daughter.
Freezing orders were then carried out on Gangadory after it was revealed that she had become the registered owner of the flashy Craigieburn property.
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